Nearly 1,000 4-H club members and friends from more than 20 West Virginia counties will visit West Virginia Universitys Evansdale Campus next month to get a taste of the Universitys academic, athletic and recreational offerings.

The fourth West Virginia 4-H Basketball Day will be held Saturday, Feb. 8. Throngs of 4-Hers will first stop by the new StudentRecreationCenter that afternoon and talk to WVU Collegiate 4-H Club members about their college life experiences and ask questions of their slightly older 4-H peers.

The youth then will be divided into small groups to tour the spacious, award-winning facility. Attendees can also speak to representatives from WVU Student Affairs, Admissions and Records, Institutional Advancement and Arts and Entertainment to find out more about attending WVU .

After the 4-Hers experience the academic side of Mountaineer life, they will watch the WVU mens basketball team play perennial Big East powerhouse Syracuse at the WVU Coliseum.

Officials say the events purpose is to encourage the younger 4-H members and their friends to become interested in attending college. For many participants, it will be their first visit to a large campus setting.

“The 4-H program is an educational initiative, and career development is only one component. This extremely popular event gives 4-H members and their families from across the state a chance to visit the WVU campus for the first time, which hopefully will get the youths interested in attending college,”said Dr. Larry Cote, associate provost and director of the WVU Extension Service.

The WVU Extension Service operates the 4-H program through local offices in every county of the state. Through clubs, special interest groups, camps, after-school programs and individual learn-by-doing projects, 4-H reaches 44,000 young people statewide. They are supported by more than 7,600 adult volunteers who serve as mentors.